Acadia’s Approach to Privacy Protocols

Security, governance, privacy – it all falls under the data protection umbrella that’s paramount to companies today. Data breaches lead to bad press and the loss of customer trust that can be hard to win back. 

Acadia is investing in all three areas of this digital transformation, across cloud-first servers, AI and machine learning, and our security and privacy practices have evolved in step in order to handle data at scale. With the volume of data we’re working with today, the tools of yesterday no longer work. Having a privacy protocol in place that you can execute against – in order to be prepared for any scenario – is just as critical. 

Acadia’s newest tech centers are dedicated to data discovery and classification, using machine learning and pattern-matching services to provide more visibility into what data is coming in, how it’s categorized and what we’ll use it for. Not only does this let us take a proactive approach to data protection, it makes it easy to constantly assess the security controls in place. Cloud security posture management tools (CSPMs) also make it easier to manage multi-cloud assets – making it possible to digest and organize the amount of data coming in. Data discovery and analysis is now automatic.

We’re here to help you navigate data protocols across tech partners like Google and Meta, so you can use your customer data to is highest potential without worrying about compliance. 

Classify your data. At Acadia, we work with enterprise-level vendors with mature security programs as partners who can help us manage vast amounts of data. These programs exist to classify data, because you can’t protect data you haven’t classified. Understanding what you know about your customer by categorizing and defining your data makes it clear what needs protected.

Only take in the data you need. It’s called “purpose limitation”. Only onboarding the data that’s relevant to what you’re doing means you’re not introducing risk where you don’t need it. Acadia gathers data from its clients only to the extent that it needs to. By reviewing the data consistently, we make sure our clients aren’t opening themselves up to unnecessary risk.

Know what’s at risk. The biggest vulnerability? Data going where it shouldn’t go, and being seen by people who shouldn’t see it. Exposure is the risk to avoid. By taking these steps, and working with trusted partners, you can avoid it.

For now, this is a responsibility that many companies have to navigate and establish playbooks for themselves in the US: while many other countries have a national data privacy law, the US does not. But with some states forming their own versions of one, companies need to understand and adhere to those laws across the state level. 

Data risks are real and at the rate the industry is evolving, keeping on top of the latest protocol and the smartest playbooks is difficult for any one company to do well on its own. Acadia’s position in the marketplace grants it access to the best tech partners and data privacy tools to make sure you and your customer are protected.

Carol Davis is the Head of Technology at Acadia